The man began running with her, stopping, turning, ducking into alcoves, running once more, until finally he came to the back door of a building that smelt strongly of rotting straw, manure, livestock and urine. Kara heard horses making guttural noises of disapproval and moving about in their stalls, no doubt disturbed by the arrival of intruder carrying his burden. She was then tossed across a horse's withers and cried out involuntarily as her belly slammed into the horse's back. Her captor fumbled about a few moments, apparently located tack for the mount, and within moments were underway once more.
They went some distance out of town, eventually switched sharply left and climbed a narrow trail up a steep hill overgrown with bushes that lashed at them from both sides. After some time the horse surged up a sharp rise, then turned to the right on level ground once more. They continued on for what seemed like an hour, along a meandering country lane through the woods, coming at last to a stop. The man dismounted, and Kara heard a door, probably belonging to a barn, open, and the horse was led inside. He then picked Kara up, carried her though a door and into some sort of dwelling, then unceremoniously tossed her to the floor. The cord binding her cocoon was then cut, and with a jerk her captor unravelled its terrified contents onto a rough wooden floor.
'Tie her to the chair!'
Kara gasped, turned her head from side to side, trying to locate the source of the voice. It couldn't be! her mind screamed. I must be mistaken!
But when her wrists and arms were freed and retied to the arms and legs of the heavy wooden chair, and her blindfold was removed, she saw that there had been no mistake.
Camilla!
'Remove her blindfold and gag and leave us,' Camilla said.
As the man did so, Kara found herself looking at Camilla in near-darkness, the light coming from a single candle on the other side of the room. Her mouth was dry and parched, she was terrified, hungry and thirsty, her head pounded dully, her joints and insides felt rubbery and weak- she was in no condition for any sort of confrontation.
'What, nothing to say?'
Kara didn't reply, but watched Camilla rise from her chair and slowly donned a pair of leather gloves. She was, Kara noted, wearing riding breeches and boots.
'You should have heeded my advice,' Camilla told her, drawing near. 'If you had, you'd be far away from here, and safe from your father and brother.' She added in a flat, dangerous voice, 'And me.' Quick as lightning, she struck Kara hard across the face, snapping her head to once side. Kara immediately tasted blood, and knew the inside of her cheek had been cut against her teeth.